There’s Still Secrets: Jamie Anne Allman on ‘The Killing’

The co-star of AMC's hit drama talks about last week's fateful kiss, the upcoming series finale and her standup comedy aspirations.

Our interview with “The Killing” star Jamie Anne Allman got delayed from last week, but sometimes these setbacks are a blessing in disguise. This Sunday's episode, “Ghosts of the Past,” was a big one for her character, Terry Marek, who shared a kiss Stan Larsen (Brent Sexton), the husband of her sister Mitch (Michelle Forbes). It’s hard to blame her: Mitch has gone AWOL and is sleeping around on her own, spurred by the murder of her daughter Rosie, whose murder investigation drives the hit AMC series forward.

We talked to Jamie Anne Allman about that fateful kiss, what repercussions are in store, the big finale of the series and, quite unexpectedly, her new standup comedy career. Be sure to see what happens next for Terry Marek on "The Killing," every Sunday on AMC.

CraveOnline: This last episode that just aired, I’m actually glad I’m talking to you after this one.

Jamie Anne Allman: I know, right?

CraveOnline: Yeah, that’s a big one. My first question is about Brent Sexton. Would you describe him as a good kisser… or a great kisser?

Jamie Anne Allman: [Laughs] A great kisser.

CraveOnline: Tell me about his technique.

Jamie Anne Allman: Oh my god! [Laughs] Um… soft? Soft.

CraveOnline: He’s a big guy. He could go in there with a lot of force. Did you see that coming? Had the sexual tension been planned for a while?

Jamie Anne Allman: Yeah, there have been little hints of it, which, if there’s something hinted, the viewers are either going, “Oh my gosh, if this happens I’m dreading it,” or if that had happened because they implied it… So I feel like it was implied in Season One, slightly, but Veena [Sud] is always open to giving us plot points and she told us, you know.

She wasn’t really specific. She was like, yeah, there was going to be a connection that happens between you guys. And then I said, “Are we going to have sex?” [Laughs] And she’s like, “No. You’re not going to have sex.”

CraveOnline: Aw…! I think after what Mitch has been up to I think he’s earned it.

Jamie Anne Allman: Right? She’s being a little risqué over there in that hotel room.

CraveOnline: I’m hoping that when she gets back there’s a huge catfight.

Jamie Anne Allman: Well, you’ll see. There’s definitely going to be some stuff in the next couple of episodes. They’re going to get into more with my relationship with Mitch, and you know, the fact that she’s not returning my calls in the first place despite what happened between me and Stan. And she’s given me no choice in the matter of watching the boys, which I love. I think Terry’s a little frustrated by that.

CraveOnline: Would Terry actually want a relationship with Stan, or is this more about the intense situation and close proximity?

Jamie Anne Allman: I think this is her feeling guilt about giving Rosie her ID, which she opened a bank account with, and that Rosie found out about Beau Soleil through Terry, being on her computer in her bedroom, and the guilt that she has from that. And the guilt that she has from all those things, that she wants forgiveness for the things that she’s done, and the secrets that she has.

There’s still secrets that are still going to be revealed about Beau Soleil, because people don’t know about that in her family. She’s been secret about her relationship with Michael Ames, so this stuff’s going to come out. She’s got a lot of guilt about all these things, and I think in that moment it makes her feel forgiven almost. It makes her feel loved. Plus she’s been in heartbreak with Michael Ames. He hasn’t been returning her calls either, like her sister, and has cut off funds for her and broken her heart.

She doesn’t understand it, and so she just needs some kind of comfort. I think that’s where, for both of them, I feel like that’s what was stemming from that. And then it was awkward, because I think they both realize it was wrong, but they needed it, but it was weird.

CraveOnline: That’s going to be an awkward morning.

Jamie Anne Allman: Awkward. Weird. Morning.

CraveOnline: I think we talked about this on the red carpet, but I’d like to ask you about it again. What are the difficulties in acting in a murder mystery, especially one as long as this, where you find out things about your character’s backstory after you’ve started portraying them?

Jamie Anne Allman: I didn’t really find out those kind of things until… Like in the first season, I didn’t find out I was an escort, I didn’t know particular things. But the way that they’ve written it, they’ve been able to track things for every character to where it makes sense [storywise]. Ultimately, in a perfect world, you’d want to know about everything, every backstory. But different people work in different ways, so for me, it hasn’t been that much of a problem.

CraveOnline: Did you watch the original series when you started working on “The Killing?”

Jamie Anne Allman: Yes, I did.

CraveOnline: I haven’t seen it, and I can’t pronounce it.

Jamie Anne Allman: I think I can say it, “Forbrydelsen.”

CraveOnline: Sounds very nice when you say it. I know that it’s shifting gears in the second season from the original series.

Jamie Anne Allman: Yes, which I think is smart for them to do, because its killer was revealed, and if they kept it the same all people would have to do is just watch the Danish series, and then figure out who the killer is. What’s the point?

But I did watch the Danish series, and I loved it, and I think that they did a phenomenal job, and I think that the way that they’re taking the Danish series and then making it their own is going to be amazing too. I’m really exciting about the finale that we’re shooting right now, and I think that people are going to be shocked, surprised and very entertained.

CraveOnline: Are they shooting alternate endings to preserve the mystery?

Jamie Anne Allman: I don’t think so.

CraveOnline: Good. Commitment. I like that. You have an upcoming film called Any Day Now…

Jamie Anne Allman: Yeah, that’s one with Alan Cumming and Garret Dillahunt, and they’re amazing actors. I just really enjoy playing roles that are… I’m always looking for something to act, so I feel like sometimes “the girl next door” is not my thing. [Laughs] Playing the grittier sides of life. So that was an opportunity to step in and work with amazing people on my hiatus, and I’m really excited because it went to Tribeca. I haven’t seen it yet, but I’ve heard some really great things about it. So I’m excited about it.

CraveOnline: What else do you have coming up that we can look forward to.

Jamie Anne Allman: Well, I have that, and then after this [“The Killing”] I think I need a little break from the drama, and I’m hoping to do a comedy, and you may see me at a local open mic somewhere doing some standup. [Laughs]

CraveOnline: Do you actually do standup?

Jamie Anne Allman: Yeah, I’ve done it a few times but I’m working on fleshing out my set right now. As soon as I that finished, I’m going to get going again.

CraveOnline: What’s your style? Do you tell jokes or are you more of a storyteller?

CraveOnline: I’ve been thinking about getting into that. How do you develop your material? Do you just have a conversation with somebody and go, “Oh, that was pretty funny” and you write it down, or do you sit at a computer…?

Jamie Anne Allman: Well, you have to sit down. I like to write things out. I sit down and figure out, what are my fears, what are my obsessions? What do I like? Yeah, you can take funny scenarios, but sometimes it’s hard to take something that you think is funny with a particular person in your life and transfer that into a whole story with points that are funny.

I also have taken a class, actually. I know some people just freeball it and don’t take a class, but I like to have structure. That’s how I am. Some people just get up and jump in and don’t need structure, but I’m a big structure person. [Laughs] So I took a class, and they teach you how to be prepared, and give you tools, which… When I have tools and I’m settling into a situation, I like to be prepared.

So there’s tools that you can learn. I studied with Lisa Alvarado. She’s toured with Sinbad and still tours around and does stuff like that. So if you figure out what frustrates you, what scares you, about what makes you vulnerable, your firsthand knowledge about stuff, what you’re known for, who you are and how people see you right away, so you can comment on it before they do, because they’re thinking it as soon as as they see you… and usually you want to open that up right away, to diffuse what people are thinking as soon as they see you when you get up on stage.

And then being okay with what type of humor you are. If you have a dry sense of humor, then go with it. If you’re into physical comedy go with it. Being comfortable with the type of you are, and not trying to be something that you’re not.

CraveOnline: If we wanted to see Jamie Anne Allman at an open mic night, would we follow your Twitter or just hope for the best?